The 1877 major league baseball season was contested from April 30 through October 6, 1877, and saw the Boston Red Caps as the pennant winner of the second season of the National League. There was no postseason.
Over the off-season, in December 1876, two teams were formally kicked out of the league for failing to fulfill their schedules: New York Mutuals and Philadelphia Athletics, contracting the league from eight to six teams.[1]
The 1877 schedule consisted of 60 games for all six teams of the National League. Each team was scheduled to play 12 games against the other five teams in the league. This was the first season that the National League adopted the format. The format would last only through the following season.
Opening Day took place on April 30 featuring a game between the Boston Red Caps and Brooklyn Hartfords. The final day of the season was on October 6, featuring four teams.[2]
Rule changes
The 1877 season saw the following rule changes:
New rules reemphasizing the need to fulfill team schedules are implemented.[1]
New scheduling rules were implemented. If the league has:
six or seven teams, each team must play twelve games against other teams,
eight or nine teams, each team must play ten games against other teams,
ten teams, each team must play eight games against other teams.[1]
Each team is entitled to play half of their games at home.[1]
Any team refusing to play a scheduled game will be immediately expelled.[1]
The batter's box was moved forward by one foot so that it was equidistant forward and aft from the center of home plate.[1]
A fair ball is now defined as one "batted directly to the ground that bound or roll within the foul lines between home and first or home and third base, without first touching the person of a player ... [and designated as foul] all balls batted directly to the ground that bound or roll outside the foul lines between home and first or home and third bases, without first touching the person of a player ... In either of these cases the first point of contact between the batted ball and the ground shall not be regarded."[1] Previously, the first point of contact between the batted ball and the ground determined whether a ball was fair or foul.
For the 1877 season only, a rule forcing home teams to bat first was implemented, a change from the coin-toss by team captains procedure.[1]
Baserunners were instructed to run, not walk, back to the base where they began whenever required to do so.[1]
Baserunners are now required to run behind a fielder in the basepath who was legally attempting to field a ball.
If the baserunner is hit by a ball, they are out.[3]
The basepath was defined as extending from the foul line to three feet to tis right, and any baserunner who ran outside this area from the batter's box to first base would be declared out.[1]
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